The View From the Boardwalk
by Fantasiimaker
Summary: Kagome and Inu-Yasha spend a day at the boardwalk! Sunny beach, junk food, rides, the ocean... A perfect day? Nah...not with Inu's roller coaster phobia^_^' And will the half-demon finally tell Kagome how he feels about her? Plz read and review!!
1. Arrival

**The Boardwalk**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inu-Yasha (sadly...^_^;). Rumiko Takahashi does. 

"It's gonna be great!" Kagome said cheerfully as she pedaled along on her bicycle. "A day at the beach...what could be better? Right?" She turned to look at the white-haired half-demon who was perched behind her. His eyes were closed, and his head nodded slightly. 

"RIGHT, Inu-Yasha?!" she shouted loudly into his ear. 

He jolted awake at once and whipped out his sword. "What?? What?? What is it??" he said, looking around in bewilderment. 

Shaking her head, Kagome turned back to face the road. "You didn't have to fall asleep. Am I that boring to be around?" 

Inu-Yasha stared at the back of her head, and her dark hair streamed back to tickle his nose. For a moment, he was caught in a fuzzy trance. "Of course you're boring," he retorted, sheathing his sword. "The only reason I hang around with you is because you're a Shikon-shard detector. Haven't you figured that out yet?"

She laughed, leaning forward in her bike so she could pedal faster. The breeze felt so wonderful, so cool and warm at the same time, mixed with the soft morning sunshine that settled into her skin. Even Inu-Yasha's crude remarks couldn't ruin her mood today. She closed her eyes and breathed the air in deeply.

"Hey! Watch where you're going! You can't steer with your eyes shut!" he barked over her shoulder. The road ahead was speckled yellow with shore grass, and a handful of palm trees loomed on either side of them. In the distance, the sound of screams could be heard coming from tall, undulating structures. "Is the place really that great?" he asked, eyeing the roller coasters warily. "It doesn't sound like much fun to me."

"They're screaming because they're having a good time. Because of the rush," said Kagome lightly. "Don't worry, you'll know what I mean when you try it."

"Heh. No way am I getting on one of those things."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not!

"Yes you are!"

"Fine, I'm going back then." He sprang off the bike.

"Sit!!" Kagome sang out. She heard a satisfying thud in the ground behind her and tried to smother her giggles at the thought of poor Inu-Yasha, glued to the ground. As much as she would've liked to see it, she kept on riding ahead. He'd give in quickly, she knew it.

"I'll pay you back for this, wench," she heard him growl, trailing after her grudgingly. She grinned. It was so much fun teasing him. As she pulled into the bike parking and locked her bike securely, Inu-Yasha stood in wonder, taking in the sight. The sparkling, deep-blue ocean on one side, an enormous jungle of rides and entertainment on the other. The place was packed with people, and the multitude of the crowd amazed him. He'd never seen that many people all in one place before. 

"It's called a boardwalk," said Kagome, laughing at his expression. "C'mon, let's go!" Grabbing the sleeve of his robes, she started to pull him toward a cluster of video games. Curiosity overcame him, making him forget to be annoyed; he allowed himself to be dragged all the way over to a flashing, colorful game with loud music coming from it. A young child was stomping on four colored tiles with arrows on them. On the screen before him, pictures moved and swirled dizzyingly.

"What..._is_ that?" asked Inu-Yasha, staring into the screen. Drawing his sword, he reached out and prodded it inquisitively. The screen suddenly darkened, and some words flashed ominously across it. "Wha-?" He took a step back.

"Waaaaaah!" A defeaning wail came from the little boy, who had stopped stomping. "You! You made me lose the game!!" He pointed accusingly at Inu-Yasha, who looked up guiltily. 

"Uh...I...I didn't mean to...aargh!" He clamped his hands over his ears and backed away from the boy, who had started wailing like a siren again. "Kagome! Make that sound stop!" he pleaded.

All of a sudden, it did stop. There was Kagome, crouching down next to the kid and offering him some coins. The boy grabbed them out of her palm and skipped off. "What a devil," said Inu-Yasha, coming over to her. "You had to pay him money to make him leave?"

"It's not money," she said. "They're tokens. Used for playing video games. See?" She stuck her hand under his nose, but before he could get a better look, she whisked them away. "Let's use some of these!" 

Inu-Yasha watched as Kagome inserted three of the coins into a small opening below the screen. "Wait-" he blurted with uncertainty. She was already on one of the metal platforms, stepping on a panel. "I don't know how to do this!" 

"Oh c'mon Inu-Yasha! DDR's fun!" The song started, and Kagome yanked Inu-Yasha onto the platform beside her by his beaded necklace. "Just step on the arrow when it comes to _here_ on the screen, okay?" she pointed out.

"Hmm...would I rather be embarrassed horribly by dancing on some stupid arrows, or be pancaked to the ground by a-"

"Too late!" Kagome laughed delightedly as she stepped on the torrent of arrows that were flying across the screen. Her points were rising steadily. Just like old times, when she had gone to the arcade with her friends on weekends to escape the stress of studying. She glanced at Inu-Yasha and pressed her lips together so hard that they turned white.

Clumsily, he was lunging and stumbling over his feet, giving frantic little hops every now and then as though the seat of his robes was on fire. In ten seconds, his side of the screen flashed "Game Over". He just stood there, frozen with embarrassment, until the song ended. 

Panting, Kagome turned to him. At his expression, she clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from bursting. "Um...you got an E, Inu-Yasha. Good job!" She grabbed his arm and steered him away from the game before onlookers could say anything.

He moped silently for a while, not saying a word to her, until he found that he was being shown into a large plastic log floating on a current of water. He stopped cold. 

"What NOW?" Inu-Yasha demanded. "Don't think I'll let you trick me again!"

"Hurry up, please," said an attendant. "People are waiting."

"Don't worry, I'm not tricking you! It's just...a kind of boat ride!" said Kagome. She jumped inside the log and pulled him in after her. When they were both seated, the log rushed forward and began to ascend a steep slope. The ground grew further and further away from them. Inu-Yasha dug his nails into the plastic sides of the log.

"Why do I get to sit in the front?" he snapped, whirling around to look at Kagome. The log turned level and began flowing forward again, this time faster than before. 

"You'll get more water that way," she said, smiling innocently. "By the way, look ahead. I think I forgot to mention the...ah...waterfall."

"What?!!" His eyes popped out of his head. There, a few feet ahead- air. A clear drop to the bottom. His throat went dry.

He felt Kagome press against him, her arms clinging tightly around his waist. "Get ready!" she called out, her voice muffled into his shoulder. His heart had two seconds to flutter like crazy before it plunged straight down. 

**Note:** I hope you liked the start of my first Inu-Yasha fanfic...heck, every one of my new fanfics seems to be a "first" right now since I just started.^_^ So, what didya think? Good? Okay? Bad? Smellier than rotten cheese with little fuzzy green things growing on it? _ Sorry I had to end it here, but I'll keep going, I promise! I would appreciate comments and/or criticism of any kind to help make the story better! 


	2. Ice Cream

**The Boardwalk- Chapter 2**

"I'm NOT talking to you anymore," grumbled Inu-Yasha. Sopping wet from pointy dog ears to feet, he trudged after Kagome, cursing her silently. How dare she humiliate him like this! Why was he even here, anyway? How had she even succeeded in convincing him to come? He watched her wring out her hair and toss it back, sunlight hitting tiny droplets of water, making them sparkle as they flew through the air. The cheerful smile on her face seemed permanent today. Or maybe that was just her laughing at him for making a fool out of himself.

"What was so fun about that ride??" he demanded, shaking out his long, damp hair in a very dog-like manner. 

"What are you talking about? It was great!" said Kagome. "You were flailing and shrieking all the way down! Hahaha!"

"Shut up!" Inu-Yasha said. "You screamed too, stupid! And you were squeezing me so hard, I thought my back was gonna break!"

She stopped suddenly and turned around. "I thought you weren't talking to me anymore? Changed your mind so fast?" 

"Uh..." he was caught. "I...uh...um..." Kagome peered at him curiously, and he squirmed. "I-I can do what I like! Mind your own business!" he said louder than he intended, and marched ahead as fast as he could. 

Inu-Yasha's heart pounded furiously as he walked. It was true. He realized that he took for granted being able to talk to Kagome. Before, there had been no one. Solitude...he'd thought that solitude was what he preferred. But now that Kagome was always beside him, he wasn't so sure...

He shook himself. What was he thinking? 

"Hey, Inu-Yasha, I know what'll cheer you up!" She prodded his arm. "Are you hungry?"

"Food?" he said. His mouth was watering already. "Is there any ramen?"

Kagome laughed. "If you really want it. But there's a bunch of other kinds of delicious food here. How about...ice cream?" 

He looked puzzled. 

"It's really good, especially on hot days. I'll buy us each a cone! Wait here, okay?" she said, and dashed off. 

"Wait-!" he called, but she was gone already, lost in the moving crowd. He couldn't see her at all. Great. What was he supposed to do now? He didn't want to stand here by himself in this strange world. Some people jostled him, pushing him into the crowd, and he was pulled along by the current of people. "Fine...while I'm here, I might as well go find Kagome," he muttered to himself.

Inu-Yasha began to notice that people were staring at him. "Yo, nice costume, man," someone said. 

"Costume??!" he said, outraged. "I'd call those stupid garments you're wearing a costume! These robes are made of the finest cloth you'll ever see in your life!" Angrily, he drew his sword to chase after the guy, who was ignoring him. Before he could reach him, a two girls wearing bikinis and jean shorts scampered over and latched on to him. "Ooooh, how cute! Those ears look soo real!" they exclaimed, pulling at his ears. A vein popped in his forehead. Only Kagome was allowed to touch his ears. 

"Let's take a picture!" suggested one of the girls. She snaked an arm around Inu-Yasha's neck and pulled him down to her height, practically strangling him. "Hey!" said the other girl. "How come you get to pose with him first??" She yanked his other arm around her waist, and the two commenced jabbering loudly over who would be in the picture. Stuck in the middle and feeling as though his arms were being torn in half, Inu-Yasha flopped back and forth helplessly. 

Suddenly, he heard her voice. 

"Inu-Yasha!" It was Kagome, struggling through a wall of people. "Inu-" She was cut off by the sight of the the swimsuit-clad girls with him. Red creeped over her face as she stomped to him, an ice-cream cone in each hand. He cringed. Smoke was practically billowing from her ears. He knew what was coming, but he tried anyway.

"Kagome, listen, I can explain-"

"SIT!!!"

The half-demon hit the ground face-first with a ringing smack. 

"Geez...sorry," said one of the girls, looking down at Inu-Yasha's crumpled body with distaste. "Didn't know you had a girlfriend." Losing interest, she and her friend whizzed away into the crowd. 

"I'm NOT his girlfriend!" Kagome yelled after them. "What were you doing, Inu-Yasha?! I told you to wait there!" 

His arm twitched painfully in reply. 


	3. More Ice Cream

**The Boardwalk – Chapter 3**

"Here, take your ice cream." Kagome thrusted the half-melted cone at Inu-Yasha. He took it, rubbing his head gingerly. Side by side, they sat in silence for a while on the low wall that separated the boardwalk from the beach. Inu-Yasha took a peek at Kagome's face, and quickly recoiled. She was still mad...

Warily, he lowered his mouth and lapped up a tiny bit of the ice cream. Mmmm....a smooth, cold sensation filled his whole mouth, feeling so good in the heat of the summer day. He took a larger lick. Why didn't they make food this good back in his time? His mouth closed over the top of the cone, and he took a huge gulp. 

Kagome, curiously watching him, finally spoke up, "Don't take such huge bites." 

"Mmmfph?" said Inu-Yasha. He swallowed and tried again. "If you're not gonna eat that, can I have it?" He indicated the melting ice cream in her hand.

She stared at it. "Sure," she said, handing it over. "You made me lose my appetite, anyway." 

"I didn't do anything!" he complained. "I told you, those girls came after me!" 

"Uhuh. Sure." Kagome turned away. 

"Really!" In an attempt to prove his honesty, Inu-Yasha flung out his arms. Big mistake. The tops of his ice cream cones flew off into the air. One plopped into the sand. The other crashed right into-

"My shirt!!" screamed Kagome. Bits of ice cream dotted her face and hair. A large white blob stuck to the front of her white tank top and was already melting, dribbling down her front. She looked at Inu-Yasha with an expression of the utmost rage. "Aughh!!"

"Oh no!" he yelled, jumping down from the wall onto the beach. He ran, his feet slapping down the sun-baked sand as fast as he could, with Kagome right behind him. In his hands, he still gripped the ice cream cones. He took a big bite as he ran. Turning his head, he stuck out his tongue at Kagome teasingly. "Nyah, nyah! You can't catch me!" This was a lot more fun than those rides!

Suddenly, his face hit the sand, and there was gritty sand inside his mouth. "Hey!" he cried. Kagome was sitting on his legs, grabbing fistfulls of sand and throwing them at his hair. "Not the hair!!" He got up, shaking his head from side to side and spitting sand. She slid to the ground, grabbed his feet, and promptly tripped him again. 

"Ugh..." said Inu-Yasha. He lay there, his chest heaving. "I give up." 

"Hahahahah!" she laughed, grasping his ears and tugging them. "See, I did catch you! You're too slow."

"No, I only let you win because I felt sorry for you." He stopped breathing as she leaned close, her hair touching his, black against white. Her hands pressed into his shoulders as she sat on his back.

The scent of the ice cream the from her shirt, now a sticky melted white, drifted into his nose. His heart thudded wildly. Reaching over him, Kagome pulled something from the sand. "Look, it's a shell!" she marveled, bringing the miniscule, clam-shaped seashell up to his eyes. "It's so tiny!"

Inu-Yasha stared at her face. "What?" she said, looking confused. "Is there something on my face?"

"Yeah..." he said, in a voice barely louder than a whisper. A voice that didn't sound like his own. "There's ice cream on your face..."

He craned his neck sideways, in a very uncomfortable position because she was sitting on top of him, and kissed the white dot near her mouth.

It was hardly a kiss. More like a nuzzle. His lips barely touched her face. 

But the movement froze Kagome in shock.

She quickly got up and brushed herself off. A thin layer of sand clung to the stickiness on her shirt. She flicked it off roughly, not seeming to be able to focus on anything. 

Inu-Yasha pushed himself up as well. What cursed demon had possessed him to do that?? Now, she was another step closer to discovering his inner self, his inner emotions. And how he felt. He wished hard that he could melt into the sand like the ice cream.

A hand touched his back. He turned.

"Let's go on some more rides, okay Inu-Yasha?" She was smiling. As though nothing had happened. Thank the heavens...he wouldn't have to be embarrassed...

"Okay." 

Even as he uttered the word, he knew he would regret it. More rides. Yippee. He fell back to his old complaints. "Can we go on something a little...easier?" he said, climbing the steps back to the boardwalk.

"Easier?" Kagome mused. "Oh, I know! How about...that? The pirate ship?" Inu-Yasha followed her pointing finger. A large wooden ship, swinging back and forth like a pendulum, held a few taciturn people. Among them were two little kids, who sat there looking bored. One person near the top belted out a half-hearted yell, but stopped when no one else made a sound. It didn't look TOO scary...

He nodded his consent, and followed Kagome to the entrance line. If those kids could do it, he could too. The gate opened, spilling a handful of people into the waiting ship. A sign said "Children and those with serious heart problems, please sit in middle." 

"Umm..?" Inu-Yasha pointed at the sign worriedly. But Kagome was already seated in the very back. "C'mon!" she said, patting the seat beside her. Slowly and reluctantly, he dragged himself all the way to her. It's okay...it can't be too bad...if those kids could do it, I can do it too, he calmed himself.

"Please raise your hands above your seat until the safety bar has been completely lowered," said a mechanical voice. Everyone raised their arms.

"Safety bar?" said Inu-Yasha, his voice rising in panic. "What do we need a safety bar for?" The metal bar clanged down into place. Locking him in. "K-k-kagome??" he said. The ride jolted and began to move forward. 

Kagome grinned at him. "You can't possibly be scared of this little baby ride, Inu-Yasha?" Slowly, the ship swung back.

"I'm not scared!" he retorted, puffing out his chest arrogantly. "I've fought countless demons and evil storms, how could this- WAAAHH!"

The ship had suddenly plunged down, leaving his stomach still hanging in the air somewhere. Before he could recover, it swung back for another round. This time, even higher than before. "WAAAHH!" he screamed as the ride sliced through the air. He was parallel to the ground, and the people on the other side of the ship were straight above him. His head spun. Holding to the safety bar in front of him for dear life, he clenched his eyes shut.

"How much longer until this thing stops??" he yelled.

Flying through the air, Kagome whooped with delight. "Oh, only about...five minutes!" she shouted back.

Five minutes...he couldn't make it. He ducked down into his seat, stomach heaving violently.

*****

**Note:** How is it so far? Speak up! I want to make this story as good as it can be! ^_^ 


	4. Ramen and Bumper Cars

**The Boardwalk- Chapter 4**

Inu-Yasha staggered out of the ship ride, his white hair rumpled and sticking up all over the place. Swallowing weakly, he tried to keep down the sour digestive sauces that were gurgling around in his stomach. Everything kept spinning nauseatingly, he couldn't figure out why, and it was making him dangerously dizzy. 

Kagome was right in front of him...He put out an arm and leaned on her unsteadily. Kagome smiled...no, she snickered. "Think you barfed enough there, Inu-Yasha? Geez, that was disgusting!"

A janitor rushed quickly past them and started mopping at the slushy throw-up splattered over half of the ship's heavy plastic seats. 

"All those poor people!" she continued to comment as Inu-Yasha regained his balance. "Couldn't you have at least tried to aim to the side or something? Well, at least you didn't splash any on me-" She laughed out at his wrathful eyes, glaring daggers through her. "I was just playing around! Don't take everything so seriously all the time!" 

"Playing _around_, eh?" he croaked, then immediately clapped both hands over his mouth. Kagome patiently directed him to a garbage can and patted his back as he hunched over it. When he had finished, he scowled at her again. "We'll see who's playing around when I'm done with you, wench!" he said.

"Tsk, tsk...threatening, are we? That's not very nice," said Kagome brightly, almost skipping alongside him as they walked. 

"Feh. My becoming ill makes you so happy?"

"Yup!" Winking at him, she led the way to a food stand. "Want something to eat now?"

He watched her as she paid the cashier and came out with a warm bowl of something. "No thanks...I don't feel much like eating." 

"Are you suuuuure?" she asked. She held the bowl temptingly close to his nose and waved it around. The smell made his saliva start to pour. 

"Oh!" said Inu-Yasha. "Ramen!" 

"Heheheheheh!" Cackling evilly, Kagome produced a pair of chopsticks and dug into the noodles with a relish. "Too bad, Inu-Yasha. You're too sick to eat anything! Mmm...mmm!" She made exaggeratedly slow eating motions, bringing the ramen to her lips, slurping it down slowly...

Inu-Yasha lunged for the bowl. "No! No I'm not! I changed my mind! Give it! Give it!" 

"But I already got my nasty germs in it! You wouldn't want that!" said Kagome, holding the food high above her head with one hand.

"I don't care! Gimme!"

"Are you sure you want it?"

"Yes! Yes!"

"Suuuuuure?"

"Yes!!"

"Okay." With a loud, wet plop, the bowl landed upside-down on Inu-Yasha's head. Shrimp-flavored soup streamed down his face, and strands of squiggly noodle decorated his hair.

"That's for the ice cream," she said smugly. She ran before he could say anything.

"Aaaaaaaaarrgh!" Shaking off the bowl, Inu-Yasha raced after her. He dodged and shoved madly past people, trying to keep Kagome in sight. She made a sudden turn, and without thinking, he followed her. All he could think of was to catch her...

She was among a group of people, pouring into an enclosed area that held a cluster of tiny cars. As they started to whiz around him, he realized he was the only one not riding a car. Leaping into one nearby, he tried to imitate their movements, turning the wheel, stepping on something in the bottom. No sooner had he begun to inch forward when someone slammed into him from behind, jolting him. He wheeled around. Kagome.

"Hahah! Try to hit me!" she teased. Her car sailed off in the opposite direction. 

Erg... Inu-Yasha was filled with an overwhelming frustration. How do you get this darn thing to move forward? He kicked his foot angrily and jerked the wheel to the side. Suddenly his car did begin to move...in a circle. Twirling around and around. Faster and faster. 

"AAAAAH!" he yelled. "STOP THIS THING!"

"Take your hands off the wheel!" called Kagome. He did. To his relief, the car stopped spinning, but it didn't stop completely. Instead, it surged ahead – and crashed straight into Kagome.

"Gotcha!" said Inu-Yasha. 

She stared at him for a moment, then bursted out laughing. Inu-Yasha joined her. The two traipsed away from the bumper cars, cracking up, oblivious to the looks and gapes of passersby.

"Let's go on that!" suggested Inu-Yasha, pointing to a rotating ride with the words "Whirlwind" printed across the entrance. 

"Wow, that's the first time you actually volunteered to ride something!" said Kagome. "Let's go!" They strolled quickly up to the gate, entered, and found seats. There were several stations, groups of seats arranged in a circle, suspended in the air and attached to one large machine in the middle. When everyone was seated, the ride began to whirl like a carousel, but faster.  

Kagome smiled across at Inu-Yasha, and he smiled back. "I'm glad you're finally starting to enjoy this place," she said.

He said nothing, but inside, he was plotting wickedly. There was a reason he'd chosen the Whirlwind. From a distance, he had watched other people on this ride, and he now knew how to operate it. He grasped the large, round, disc-shaped wheel in the middle and pulled at it. It turned easily, and so did the circle of seats they were sitting at. 

"Oh no..." breathed Kagome. "Don't..."

"Yes!!" Inu-Yasha flung himself at the wheel, turning it as fast as he could in one direction. Their ride spun rapidly too, making everything outside into one big blur. 

"I...don't really like spinning rides!" she called out. 

"Oops! I missed that!" he said, spinning faster than ever.

"Ugghh!! You...!!" Dizzily, Kagome pushed his arms down. Before they even had time to slow, he started spinning the wheel again. She shoved him to the side. No use...he popped back and resumed spinning. "Don't make me have to SIT you!" she said. "It would be pretty painful in this...oh..." 

The ride was slowing down, and Inu-Yasha was wedged painfully into his seat, his face mushed against the wheel.

*****

Hmm...this thing is becoming quite long...I think should wrap it up soon. Any suggestions? Comments on how I'm doing? Review! ^_^


	5. Shippo Doll

**The Boardwalk – Chapter 5**

"Owww..." Inu-Yasha grimaced as he gingerly touched his bruised face. "Why'd you have to do that you...you..." He stopped as Kagome gave him a warning look. "Why the hell did you do that??!" he finished ungracefully, stamping the ground like the angry child they'd met earlier at the DDR machine.

"I didn't feel like getting dizzy," Kagome huffed. "Besides, you're the one who tricked me!"

"What? I'm the one getting tricked here!! The log thing, the ship-"

"So?? You practically dumped an ice-cream cone on my chest!!"

"Well...well...YOU dumped all that ramen on my head! What a waste of good food!!"

At that, Kagome dissolved into helpless giggles. Inu-Yasha aimed a murderous glare at her head, and a vein popped on his forehead. "That was NOT funny!" he growled.

In reply, she reached out a hand and pulled something from the clumps of hair close to his face. He reddened under her slight touch. 

Dangling from her fingertips, a long ramen noodle swung up and smacked him in the nose. She chuckled and looked straight into his eyes, making his heart skip a beat. "I think it was very funny," she said. "And you still smell like ramen." Her nose touched his thick hair, and she inhaled deeply. 

Kagome's closeness dazed him. It made him want to grab her and pull her close. It made him wonder how it would feel to touch her silky hair, her skin...

It also made him very, very scared.

"Um, ah, let's go on another ride," Inu-Yasha blurted quickly. He took a few steps away from her and immediately wanted to go back, where he could still smell her sweet scent.

"Okay. Hey, it's past lunchtime now, but want something to eat?" she said. 

"Oh nooo!" He put on a mock look of horror. "Keep it away from my hair!"

Laughing, Kagome took a hold of his arm and pulled him to a stand. A delicious smell wafted up, making his stomach gurgle so loudly that he was sure the whole boardwalk could hear. "Two slices of pizza, please," Kagome was saying. She handed Inu-Yasha a paper plate with a large triangle of food on it. 

They walked along as they ate. There was silence for a while as each savored their pizza. 

Suddenly, Kagome let out a squeal of delight and dashed off, one hand clinging to his arm. Inu-Yasha bonked and crashed his way through several disgruntled people before they came to a stop in front of a large, clear machine. A pile of small, assorted stuffed animals lay inside. "Ooo, look! Look at it! It looks just like Shippo!" she cried, pointing through the glass. Inu-Yasha peered inside at the reddish-orange fox doll with a bushy tail. 

"Hmph, it does kinda look like that little furball," he agreed. 

"Ooh! I have to get it and show it to him!" said Kagome excitedly, digging out a few quarters. "He'll love it!" She inserted some coins and took hold of the handle which controlled the mechanical arm inside. Carefully, she guided the claw down over the fox doll and pressed the button. "Yes!!" she cried as the toy was pulled up by its tail. But it slid back down before the claw could deposit it out. 

"Nooo! Stupid rigged machines! What a waste of money!" she complained. 

Inu-Yasha held out his hand. "Lemme try it." Looking at him in surprise, she dropped a couple of coins onto his open palm. He grinned confidently. "Feh...this doesn't look so hard," he said, sticking in the money and grasping the handle. "Aha!" The open claw lowered and closed...

It came up holding nothing but empty air.

"Aaaargh! Blasted thing!!" he raged, giving the machine a kick. He smacked the controller handle with fury, muttering all kinds of assorted curses at it. Vaguely, he was aware of Kagome snickering at him.

"You didn't even come close," she laughed. All of a sudden, she stopped and stared into the machine. Inu-Yasha's hand was still on the handle, and the metal claw inside had captured the little stuffed fox. She held her breath as it was dropped into the prize box. 

"Oh my god..." Kagome murmured in a hushed voice as she pulled out the doll. She gazed at Inu-Yasha incredulously. "You got it...You actually got it!!" Clutching it in one hand, she threw her arms around him, laughing with joy and disbelief. After a few seconds, she pulled away with a contented smile. "Thank you!" she said happily. Then she scanned his face more closely. "Hey, what's wrong? Why is your face red?"

He flushed an even deeper shade of scarlet. "Uh...um...l-let's go on that ride!" Changing the subject, he ducked his flaming face and made his way quickly to a line. He had no idea which ride he had just chosen, but any ride was better than being caught like that...

He swiftly learned how wrong he was.

"Sorry, you're under the height limit. You can't go on this ride," said the ticket person to a short kid. "See, you have to be above this line to ride." 

"Awww..." the young girl muttered, walking sadly past Inu-Yasha. His eyes grew wide. 

"K-kagome? Height limit? What does that mean?" he asked cautiously as she pulled him inside. 

"Oh, just that smaller children can't go on the more violent rides, since they don't fit inside the safety restraints," she answered cheerfully. 

Inu-Yasha's face turned pale. This was beginning to sound very familiar. "Could...could we not go on this...?" he squeaked in a tiny voice.

"Hm?" Kagome turned. "What did you say?"

He looked at her happy, anticipating face. "Nothing, nothing," he replied, heaving a sigh. He didn't want to take away her excitement. Not now.

"Yay! This is going to be so fun!" she said. "By the way, do you want a front, middle, or back seat?"

"Whichever makes me the least sick," he grumbled, and followed her to the front seat in the very first car. She slid inside, and he climbed in slowly after her, pulling the side shut with a clang. They both reached up and pulled the black safety restraint down over their chests. An additional metal bar locked into place above their legs. Inu-Yasha started to get a headache.

"You know, all the seats are about the same," said Kagome as the roller coaster began to move. She turned her head sideways and gave him an encouraging smile. "But the front has the best view." 

"Thanks for the info, but I don't think I'll be seeing much of anything on here," Inu-Yasha said. "Well, at least I won't get my puke all over the passengers this time." They pulled forward, then began to climb slowly up a very steep hill, which didn't make him feel any better. 

He felt a sudden squeeze on his hand and looked at Kagome, his heart thudding. On her face was a very strained smile. "I'm kinda scared too..." she whispered, her eyes locked tightly on his. "I think this is the biggest roller coaster in the boardwalk. Great choice, Inu-Yasha!"

As the coaster inched higher and higher, his heart burst into giddy flame and his stomach turned to ice at the same time. What resulted was an odd internal explosion. He clung to Kagome's hand as though his life depended on it. 

They were nearing the very top of the hill now. "Oh, look!" Kagome breathed. He looked. All of the rides lay around him, looking tiny from their height. People milling back and forth were as small as ants. The cerulean blue ocean lay before him, with white foam washed over the edges of incoming waves. He could see surfers, people swimming, people just lying about lazily, and umbrellas dotting the sand. The warm sun caught everything and gave it all a bright and golden feeling. 

Inu-Yasha had just enough time to think, "It's so beautiful!" before the roller coaster plunged down. Which completely ruined his peaceful thoughts.

"AAAAAHHH!" he yelped. "AAAAAAHH!" His hair streaked back with the wind. He waited for the feeling of nausea to wash over him, but it didn't come. A flash, and he was swooping into an insane upside-down loop. Then, a neck-wrenching curve. Up another hill, and-

"WAAAAHH!! Wooohoo!" he screamed. He was flying! Closing his eyes, he gave in to the thrill, let it take over his body, his mind. His hands flew up, one of them still holding Kagome's. They sliced through the air, yelling wildly.

Suddenly, it was over, and the safety bars popped up. Inu-Yasha cracked open his eyes. "That was it?" he said, pushing himself up out of the seat. Kagome stumbled after him, her hair rumpled and sticking out, but her eyes shining. She leaned lightly against his arm as they walked toward the exit. 

"Hey," she said. "Did I mention that they take a picture of you on this ride?"

*****

Thanks for your reviews, everyone! Your comments and ideas are helping me make this story better and better! For all of you who haven't yet, thank you also, and REVIEW! You know how much a simple review can mean to a hopeful writer! ^_^ Thank you for reading! 


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